Crown Prince Christian, 18, Kicks Off Gap Year with Inspiring Trip

Crown Prince Christian has kicked off his gap year with a visit to the Paris 2024 Paralympics. The 18-year-old future Danish king was in the French capital on Monday to show his support for his country’s athletes.

Snaps shared on the Danish royal family’s Instagram showed the teenager, dressed in a navy blazer, a burgundy shirt and cream chinos, smiling and standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. Other images displayed Christian joining his fellow spectators at various events including wheelchair rugby and table tennis.

The Danish team has won four medals so far, including gold in para swimming, silver in para athletics, and bronzes in para taekwondo and shooting para. Christian’s appearance at the Paralympics comes just weeks after he joined his father, King Frederik, 56, at the Olympics where they cheered on Denmark in the men’s handball final against Germany. The team took home the gold, winning 39-26.

The crown prince, who graduated from Ordrup Gymnasium in Copenhagen in June, is preparing to head off on a private working trip. A statement from the palace outlined his plans, which read: “On 4 September, HRH the Crown Prince will leave for an extended stay in East Africa.

Here, the Crown Prince will be involved in the day-to-day running of two farms, which will, among other things, involve practical and administrative tasks as well as giving the Crown Prince an insight into local nature conservation. The plan is for the Crown Prince to return to Denmark in December.”

Christian is following in a long Danish tradition which sees heirs to the throne embark on long-term stays abroad in their youth to get the opportunity to experience the world. King Frederik travelled to Mongolia in 1986 and later worked for a year on a wine farm in California in 1989. Similarly, Frederik’s mother, Queen Margrethe, made major trips to the East and South America in the 1960s.

Christian, who is Frederik and his wife Queen Mary’s eldest child, became heir to the throne when his grandmother Margrethe abdicated in January. He also has three younger siblings – Princess Isabella, 17, and 13-year-old twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.

Source: HELLO!